Pruning the Hornbeam Hedges at My Farm

September 8, 2018

It's pruning time for all the hornbeams at my farm.

Last week, the outdoor grounds crew trimmed the long hornbeam hedge that runs in front of my Summer House and along the road behind my Winter House. This week, they tackled the hornbeam hedge that runs along the same road in front of my main greenhouse. Botanically known as Carpinus, the hornbeam is deciduous and fast growing - in fact, it can grow about four to five feet per year. I keep a close eye on all the hornbeams - it’s crucial that they be pruned regularly, so they never look too overgrown and unruly.

Enjoy these photos.

: Here is Chhiring pruning the hedge end in the courtyard behind my Winter House. I prefer all my hornbeams be pruned by hand using mostly secateurs and Japanese shears – it is a slower process, but provides a more detailed and prettier finish.

: Carpinus betulus is a hornbeam native to Western Asia and central, eastern and southern Europe, including southern England. Because of its dense foliage and tolerance to being cut back, this hornbeam is popularly used for hedges and topiaries. Here, you can see how much it’s grown in a year.

: Because hornbeams grow so vigorously, it has to be trimmed and sculpted regularly. The crew takes on this task around this time every summer.

: Chhewang has become a very talented pruner and does an excellent job maintaining our smaller trees and shrubs.

: Hornbeams tend to have two flushes of growth per year – one main flush in spring and a second spurt in late summer. Chhewang finished this section – it is now nice, flat and well-clipped.

: The hedge extends along the back of the Winter House and Summer House, so it is quite long. Because it is planted on a gradual slope, a large part of it needs to be pruned using a step method.

: Chhewang continues to prune all the front and top sections reachable by ladder.

: This hornbeam hedge is quite pretty in this location, but it also serves as a good privacy barrier from the road.

: Hornbeams are often confused with the common beech because of their similar leaves; however, the hornbeam leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech leaves. Hornbeam leaves are also oval, toothed and with pointed tips.

: Hornbeams do best in rich, moist, well-drained soils. All this growth shows how healthy the soil is in my gardens. Here is Chhiring clipping the edge closest to the Summer House.

: In all, this process takes about a week to complete. Chhewang is on a ladder behind the hedge – he stopped for a quick photo.

: Chhewang trims the top with the hand shears, sculpting as he goes.

: Chhring does the same – see all the growth that has occurred?

: Here is a view from the top of the hedge after Chhiring trimmed it – so level.

: Fernando works from the bottom, raking all the pruned leaves.

: The outermost parts of a hedge are exposed to lots of light, so they grow faster. Here is the front – it looks great after its trimming.

: Deer will certainly eat hornbeam, but since the property is fenced off to deer, it isn’t a problem here at the farm.

: Look at how beautiful the hedge is when finished – and all done completely by hand.

: Here is a view from the carriage road.

: In the parking area in front of my main greenhouse, there’s another tall English Hornbeam hedge that has had a lot of growth in the past year.

: I decided to maintain this hedge using a traditional English style of pruning. On the left of the ladders, you can see what has been pruned. On the right, you can see the areas still waiting.

: Pruning such a large hedge can quickly wear out the shears’ blades, so they are sharpened several times during the trimming process.

: This hedge could be sculpted in any way, but I decided to shape it very square, with the taller sections protruding just a bit.

: Once the front is complete, Chhewang and Chhiring move to the road side. Trimming here is tight, but at least it is a little more shady – temperatures on this day hit 90-degrees Fahrenheit. Chhewang and Chhiring have trimmed this hedge many times, and are excellent hedge sculptors.

: This photo shows the top sections that still need trimming.

: After the front and back faces are done, the crew brings in my Hi-Lo machine, so the top of the hedge could be trimmed as well. This piece of equipment is very useful around the farm.